Sample cutter



c. H. KREBS 3,227,024

SAMPLE CUTTER Jan. 4, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1965 ATTOR YS Jan. 4, 1966 c. H. KREBs SAMPLE CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1963 INVENTOR Czje @Krebs BY ZM; 0 f 6%* f ATTO NEYS United States Patent O 3,227,024 SAMPLE CUTTER Charles H. Krebs, i635 W. Peterson, Chicago, ill. Fiied Feb. 2'7, 1963, Ser. No. 261,304 4 Claims. (Cl.` 83-568) The' present invention relates to a sample cutter of the type employed for securing accurately sized samples from paper products of various description, including paper webs, paperboard, wadding, saturating felts for roofing,`

and similar products.

Normally, :a paper product is checked for basis weight by removing a sample after the paper product has left the final calender, Typically, the sample removed from the web measuresone footsquare, while the basis weight is` determined on the basis of 1000 square feet. Any deviation in the size of the sample, therefore, is magnified 1000 times in making4 the final evaluation. sample should be slightly oversized, for example, and the basis weight determination is made from this sample, the manufacturer may nd that he has not met the speciiication laid down for the product and he may suffer a rejection of the complete lot. Conversely, if the sample is slightly undersized, the manufacturer, relying upon the correctness of the sample, may lose whatever profit he may make on the shipment, and more, by exceeding the specifications unnecessarily.

A typical sample cutter in use today consists of a guillotine type cutter, but this type of sample cutter is not satisfactory for many reasons. For one, it requires four cuts and hence four opportunities for making a mistake. Secondly, the edges produced by such cutters are not always true, and since any discrepancy between the sample cut and the desired sample ismagnied 1000 times, the samples produced by this-type of cutter are not alway reliable.

The present inventionprovides an improved sample cutter particularly designed for use for heavier types of web materials which produces an accurately sized sam ple in a single cut, which is safe in" operation, and is readily adjustable. The cutter of the present invention makes use of a stationary knife, in contrast to previous` ly used cutters which have employed movable knives operating against a fixed bed. The sample cutter of the present invention uses a plurality of serrated cutting knives, or rules as they are called, arranged to form a confined cutting area. The rules are arranged by an ad* justable locking meansso that they do not coincide in elevation at the corners of the cutting area, thereby pro viding a shearing action, which initiates the cutting operation properly at the corners. Furthermore, the rule which is higher at a given corner extends beyond that corner to provide an end portion which initiates the cutting and eliminates ragged corners which up until this time have been a constant source of difficulty from sample cutters.`

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sample cutter which cuts a perfectly sized sample in a single pass.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sample cutter with an arrangement of cutting rules such that there is a shearing action provided on the web be ing cut, rather than the usual knife edge effect employed by previously designed sample cutters.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sample cutter with a oating platen assembly which protects the user against contact with the sharp cutting edges when the web is being moved into and away from the cutting area.

In general, the sample cutting machine of the present` invention includes a rigid base, and a plurality of cut- If the ICC ting rules secured to the base inwardly from its periphery. A resiiiently biased border is` supported from the base beyond the confines of the cutting rules, and a resiliently biased platen is supported within the confines of the rules. The cutting action is provided by a `pressure plate which is arranged to bear against a web placed-over the cutting area defined by the rules. The pressure plate preferably includes a resilient blanket securedto the in ner face `thereof and arranged to apply the cutting pressure against the web while it is positioned over the cutting area.

Other features of the invention reside in the'arrangement of the rules themselves. The rules are adjustably positioned on the base so that they can be tilted with respect to one another.' Each of the rules is displaced from the horizontal slightly so thatat the corners of the cutting area there is a difference in elevation between the two ruleswhich define the corner. This provides a good shearing action rather than a punching action which would exist if the rules dening the corners were at the same elevation. Furthermore, the higher of thettwo rules at the corner extend beyond the limit of the edge so that the cutting is initiated outside the actual cutting areaand a completely square corner results.

A further description of the present invention Will be made in conjunction with the attached sheets of drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the device.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l isa view in perspective of a sample cutter embodying the principles of the present invention;

FiGURE 2 is a plan view of the assembly with successive portions thereof being removed to illustrate the interior structure;

FGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line III- III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-lV of FiGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the device in cutting position.

As shown in the drawings:

In FIGURE l, reference numeral lil indicates generally a` sample cutter according to the present invention arranged to cut a sample of exact, predetermined area from a well f1. A pressure plate assembly generally indicated at numeral 12 in the drawings supplies cutting pressure to the web 1i and is movable relatively thereto since it is fastened on a movable arm 13.. A slidable handle 14 is provided to apply pressure to` the pressure plate assembly 12, the arm 14 being rotatable about its axis andthereby driving a gear and rack assembly (not shown) to move the arm 13 and the'pressure plate 12tinto and out of pressure applying relationship to the web lll.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 to 4, inclusive, the sample cutter includes a fixed base i6. A border 17 is superimposed over the marginal edges of the base i6. The

border 17 is resiliently biased away from the base 16 byi the provision of a set of coil springs 1b" at the corners of the base. The springs iextend between a socket 19 formed in the base i6 and a socket 21 formed inthe border 17. On downward movement of the border 17,

when pressure is applied, a stop is provided for surh` movement by the provision of a pair of boits 22 each of` which has a headed portion 23 received within a bore 24' a opposite end acting against the bottom of a bore 32 provided in the platen 28. Downward movement of the platen 2S is limited by the provision of a set of bolts 34 having a headed portion 36 slidable Within a counterboard recess 37 in the base 16 and having a threaded end portion 38 received within an internally threaded bore 39 provided in the platen 28.

A series of four serrated cutting rules 41 define the cutting area, and extend in the space existing between the outer periphery of the platen 28 and the inner periphery of the margin 17. Each of the cutting rules 41 is confined between a pair of bars consisting of a bar 42 which is welded or otherwise secured to the base 16 and an outer bar 43. Bolts 44 extend through the bars 42 and 43 to hold the cutting rules 41 in the desired alignment. As indicated in FIGURE 4, the outer bars 43 and the cutting rules 41 are provided With slots 46 which permit the cutting rules 41 to be mounted in a position which is displaced from the horizontal. With this arrangement, it is possible to provide a sharp cut at the corner, since the rules 41 are arranged such that they meet at the corners at different elevations, that is, each corner is formed by a pair of abutting rules in which one rule is higher than the other as best seen in FTGURE 4 of the drawings. This displacement provides a shearing action on the web 11 which provides a more satisfactory cut than if the rules intersected at exactly the same level. It should further be noted from FIGURES 2 and 4 that the rule which is higher at the corner has an end portion (such as portion 41a) extending beyond the corner. This additional end portion initiates the cutting of the web at the region of the corner and provides a square corner Without ragged edges.

The pressure plate assembly 12 consists of a plate 51 and a resilient blanket 52 secured to its inner or pressure applying surface. One suitable material for the blanket 52 is a Buma-N synthetic rubber having a 65 Durorneter rating. I particularly prefer to use, however, a synthetic resinous material for the blanket 52 particularly one such as polyurethane which has a self-healing characteristic, that is, it recovers spontaneously from the cuts made into it by the cutting rules 41.

The operation of the device is best illustrated in FIG- URES 1, 3, and of the drawings. The base 16 is located underneath the web 11 in the area in which the sample is to be'cut. The web 11 is drawn flat against the surface of the platen 23 and the border 17. Then, the handle 14 is rotated so that the pressure plate assembly 12 applies cutting pressure to the web 11 through the medium of the blanket 52 urging the resiliently biased platen 28 and the resiliently biased border 17 downwardly against the action of the springs 18 and 29. The web 11 is then brought into engagement with the serrated edges of the cutting rules 41 by first contacting the edge portions 41 extending beyond the contines of the corners and then along the length of the cutting rules. The movement of the platens 2d and 17 and the border 17 is limited by the stop provided by the bolts 2.2 and 36. A perfect cut results, without ragged edges.

It should also be noted that the device of the present invention is safe to operate by the arrangement of the cutting rules and the floating platen and border. As shown in FIGURE 3, before cutting pressure is applied to the device, the springs 18 and 29 normally bias the border 17 and the platen 28, respectively, to an elevation above that of the cutting rules 41. Thus, the web may be slid over the platen 23 and the border 17 Without danger of having the hand contact the sharp cutting edge of the rules 41. Similarly, when the sample has been cut, it may be removed from the cutting area simply by sliding it across the border 17 and the platen 28 without danger of coming into contact with exposed cutting edges on the rules.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the sample cutter of the present invention provides a convenient means for securing accurately sized samples fromi paper products and the like in a single cut. The typer of cut which is achieved is completely more satisfactory' than is achieved with moving knife assemblies since no= ragged edges are produced.

It should also be evident that various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sample cutting machine comprising a rigid base, a plurality of stationary cutting rules secured to said base and defining an enclosed cutting area, said rules being inclined with respect to each other such that they are not in vertical alignment at the corners of said cutting area, and a resiliently biased platen within said cutting area having a web receiving surface normally positioned above the cutting edges of said rules.

2. A sample cutting machine comprising a rigid base, a plurality of stationary cutting rules secured to said base and defining an enclosed cutting area with square,

corners said rules being inclined With respect to each other such that they are not in Vertical alignment at the corners of said cutting area, the higher of the rules at each corner having an end portion extending beyond the corner, and a resiliently biased platen within said cutting area having a web receiving surface normally positioned above the cutting edges of said rules.

3. A sample cutting machine comprising a rigid base, a border overlying said base, means resiliently biasing said border with respect to said base, a platen disposed within the confines of said border and being spaced therefrom on all sides, means resiliently biasing said platen with respect to said base, a plurality of fixed cutting rules disposed in the spaces between said border and said platen, said rules being arranged to provide a confined cutting area therebetween, the rules being tilted so that the cutting edges of the rules are at different elevations at the corners of the cutting areas, the higher of the rules at each corner having an end portion extending beyond the respective corner, and pressure applying means for applying cutting pressure against a web disposed over said cutting area.

4. A sample cutting machine comprising a rigid base, a border overlying said base, means resiliently biasing said border with respect to said base, a platen disposed within the contines of said border and being spaced there from on all sides, means resiliently biasing said platen' with respect to said base, a plurality of xed cutting rules in the spaces between said border and said platen, said rules being arranged to define a cutting area therebetween, and said rules being at differing elevations at the corners of said cutting area, and pressure applying means arranged to apply cutting pressure against a web disposed over said cutting area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 38,750 6/1863 Knickerbocker 83-696 441,262 11/1890 Valiant 83-696 703,160 6/1902 Stockrnan 83--128 766,693 8/1904 Hallett 83-124 1,082,985 12/1913 Wilder et al. 83-124 1,416,800 5/1922 Detjen 83--694 1,650,314 11/1927 Ackermann 83-124 2,109,854 3/1938 Wilcox 83-636 2,191,836 2/1940 Stromberg et al. 83-124A 2,195,819 4/1940 Kurtzeborn 83--142 2,589,907 3/1952 Weidenmiller et al. 83-124` 2,771,947 11/1956 Cefaly 83-658` 3,064,512 11/1962 Zurlo 83-694` WlLLlAM W. DYER, IR., Primary Examiner.

ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Examiner. 

1. A SAMPLE CUTTING MACHINE COMPRISING A RIGID BASE, A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY CUTTING RULES SECURED TO SAID BASE AND DEFINING AN ENCLOSED CUTTING AREA, SAID RULES BEING INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER SUCH THAT THEY ARE NOT IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT AT THE CORNERS OF SAID CUTTING AREA, AND A RESILIENTLY BIASED PLATEN WITHIN SAID CUTTING AREA HAVING A WEB RECEIVING SURFACE NORMALLY POSITIONED ABOVE THE CUTTING EDGES OF SAID RULES. 